Multiple purpose self-loading machinery packing



M. D. FELT Feb. 16, 1965 MULTIPLE PURPOSE SELF-LOADING MACHINERY PACKINGFiled March 18, 1963 I INVENTOR.

MAURICE D. FELT BY 4 1.

, HIS ATTORNEY FIG. v

Feb. 16, 1965 M. D. FELT 3,169,776

MULTIBLE PURPOSE SELF-LOADING MACHINERY PACKING Filed March 18, 1963 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. MAURICE D. FELT F l G. 7 BY W HIS ATTORNEY u edSt te Pa 3,169,776 MULTIPLE FUSE SELF-LGADING MACRY PACKING Maurice D.Felt, Murray, Utah, assignor to Packing supply Company, Eialt Lake City,Utah, a corporation of Utah Filed Mar, is, 1963, Sell. No. 265,615 3Claims. or. 277-125 vantage both in sealing performance qualitiesobtained and in reduction in manufacturing cost. v

The present packing ring is primarily intended for use in packing rings,piston rings, and gland structures in industrial equipment such as pumpsand compressors, and odors ideal seals against high pressure and lowpressure fluids, both liquids and gases; for reciprocating rods,pistons, valves, and other applications. The design advantages of thepresent packing ring construction are as follows: when usedin sets totake the place of standard V-packings there is eliminated a need forpositive and negative (male and female) adapters; fewer rings arerequired for comparable sealing of the gland or piston; O-rings thereofsnap into the upper channel of the packing ring and provide inthemselves seats for the next respective rings, and also expand the lipsof the packing to provide seals for both low and high pressureoperation; O-ring use therein provides a seal at a packing joint in theevent the packing must be split for ihstallation; and O-ring use can beemployed to effect a pro-loading of each packingring set and thuseliminate any need for gland pressure through structural take-up toobtain seala ing between adjacent surfaces. Further, the components ofthe packing ring of the present invention can be used without the O-ringto take the place of a standard U-cup, and yet provide equal or highersealing qualities than when compared with presently used U-cups.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is. to provide a new andimproved packing ring structure for effecting sealing in industrialequipment such as pumps, compressors, and so forth, for sealing againstliquids and gases in both low and high pressure contexts.

A further object of the invention is to provide springloading, inetlect, in the packing construction such that external structure neednot'be used to tighten down the packing and secure the seal, it it isnot desirable to do so.

A further object of the invention is to provide a packing componentwhich can be used in V-packing contexts and also as-a U cup, wheredesirable.

,A furthercbject of the invention is to provide a suitable packingring-member which can be used either as a .U-cup or as an element in acomposite packing ring conappended claims. The present invention, bothas to its r organization and manner of operation, together with furtherobjects and advantages thereof, may best be un--' derstood by referenceto the following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged perspective view, partially cut away forpurposes of illustration, of a packing ring constructed according to oneembodiment of the present invention. V

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary elevation, partially in section, of one typeof installation of the packing ring in,-

FIGURE 1 FIGURE 3 is a transverse section, takenalong the line 3-3 inFIGURE 2, and showing the central member in the construction beingsealed by the packing used Where the packing takes a split construction.7

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary elevation, principally in section,of machinery which includes packing of the present invention in all-packing construction.

FIGURE 5 is atop plan in reduced scale of the V- packing of FIGUREA,with layers or rings thereof cut away to show the slit interruptions inthe several packing rings used in the V-packing.' f

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged detail of the cross-section of the packing ring:in FIGURE 1. FIGURE 6 as Well as'all of the remaining figures do notinclude section lines since such might otherwise obscure the true natureof the configuration shown; however, it will be understood that FIGURE 6and the remaining figures are all repre-, sentative transverse sectionsof various packings which may be used.

FIGURE'7 illustrates another type of section which the packing ring ofthe present invention may take; the section shown in FIGURE 7 is similarto that shown in FIGURE 6 except for the upper surfaces of the packingring member, hereinafter described.

FIGURE 8A is an exploded view of a section of one type of packing ringwherein the O-ri ng employed is p as to be used either used asspring-loading to thrust outwardly the lips of .the Q-rin'g member toeffect the seal.

FIGURE 8B is a transverse section of the composite f ring of FIGURE 8Awhen the construction of the latter is assembled and installed as apiston ring. V

FIGURE 9A is an exploded view of the transverse section of another typeof ring wherein the nominal contour of the packing ring-rnember is madesuch that the width of the top thereof is greater than the space whichis to be sealed. V, V

FIGURE 98 is a transverse section of the structure of FIGURE 9A when thestructure of the latter is assembled.

FIGURE 10, illustrates theconstruction of a packing ring-member,substantially identical to that shown in FIGURES 9A and 9B wherein thesame is configured so as a U-cup or as part ofa composite ringstructure. I, I K V I FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary view, principallyinaction as before mentioned, of the packing ring of FIG- URE 10installed in one type of structural content.

In' FIGURE lthe packing ring 10 of the invention is shown to comprise apacking ring-rnember and an O-ring 12. The O-ring 12 Willgenerally heor" circular cross-section as indicated at 'A. However, variations fromcircular crease-section, such'as' elliptical ICIQSSPSQQ- tions, forexample, may befus ed if desired for special p p sa I r Packing'ring-member 11 includes upper annular recessed area 13" which ispreferably undercut as shown such that packing ring-member 11encompasses the O- ring 12in a degree greater than relative to thetransverse periphery of the O-ring. o p 7 v The recessed area 13 may beconsidered to be delineated by upper bifurcated portion 14 (3}rir1g12Upper bifurcated portion 14 is contiguhusf base portionllef of principalmeni'ber' lll.v The principal member l1, in"

addition to including" the: upper bifurcated portion' 14 and baseportion'lB', is also preferably provided with a lower edge groove l6.When such an edge groove supplied,

then'th'e packing ring not ohly may be used withoutv O -ring 12 simplyas a U-cup as shown in FIGURES 10 and 11,

hereinafter described, but also in asta'cked configurement, incombination 'Witha respective O-r'ing" as shhwn in FIG- U RE 1, suchthat the packing in stacked configurernent' are obtained as shown inFIGURE 4. Suggested dimenseal as in the case of fluid sions and positionof edge groove 16 will be considered hereinafter.

At this juncture it is important to note that the upper bifurcatedportion 14 is flared outwardly relative to base portion 15. This flaringout may be due either to the nominal configurement of the upperbifurcated portion 14 when O-ring 12 is not inserted in cavity 13, or,and preferably, the flare may be produced upon the insertion of O-r-ing12 into area 13 such that upper bifurcated portion 14, in effect, isspring-loaded by the insertion of O-ring 12 and by its resilience, theresilience of packing ringmember 11, or both. This will be more fullyexplained in connection with FIGURES SA-SB and 9A-9B.

Optionally included in the design of the packing ring of FIGURE 1 areslit interruptions 17 and 18, mutually displaced with respect to eachother, which-are provided in the design of packing ring-member 11 andO-ring 12', respectively. Where the packing ring-member 11 and O-ring 12are manufactured from rubber or other elastomer, or plastic substancessuch as that going under the name Teflon, then such slits provide foreasy installation thereof over a shaft or other central member.Suchpacking ring need not he slipped over the end of the shaft butrather may be inserted medially with respect there-to. This accommodatespacking ring installation as a piston ring or in a cylinder bore seat,for example, without necessitating the removal of other parts, havingoutside diameters larger than the inside diameter of the packing,

in order that the packing can be placed.

FIGURES 2 and 3 illustrate the use of packing ring 16 in FIGURE 1 in onecontext of the'invention. Central rnember 19 such as a piston or shaftis disposed within bore 29 of cylinder 21, for example, and means suchas packing retainer ring 22, bolts 23 and mounting ears 24s are providedso that the packing retainer ring may be drawn up to seat firmly thepacking ring 10. In such a representative construction, the ears 24 areprovided the ring 22 and include apertures 25 for receiving bolts 23.Apertures'26 are included in retainer ring 22 to receive the bolts 23.Tightening down of these bolts will produce the upward movement ofretainer ring 22 and the resulting seating and desired securement ofpacking ring 10. More particularly in this regard, the inner surface-'ismade of, such a material, therefore, thedistortion of-the O-ring,asproduced by a downward pressure of retainerring 22 thereupon, willcause the O-ring to expand within area 13 so as to spread outwardly thebifurcated portion, thereby increasing the nominal width of the latter.This etfectinsures good sealing characteristics. It 'must he remembered,however,that the hydrostatic spring Ina preferred embodiloadingeffectedby the insertion of O-ring 12, as shown i in FIGURES land 2, isnot dependent upon any tightening down of flange ring 22 Rather, theO-ring construction may simply be placed in a groove either in thecentral member or at the outer member including the bore so thatthepre-load on the .packing'as contributed solely by'the 'O-ring will besufficient to provide a satisfactory seal for most purposes. Further,this seal will be enhancedby the fluid pressure of machine employing thepumps, Pneumatic compressors,

and so forth.

. FIGURE 3 illustrates the packer ring'of FIGURE 2 wherei nthesam asshown also in FIGURES l 'and Z,

includeslit interruptions 17 -and18in the packing ring eliminate anytendency whatever of the packing to leak at its seaLj-Such slitinterruptions can accommodate I member'll and O-ring 12, respectively.Though such slit interruptions may not be necessary for-certainapplications, they are advantageous in installing the rings where, asbefore mentioned, it is diflicult to slip a nonslit ring over the shaftor other central member for mounting purposes.

It will he noted particularly with reference to FIGURE 1 that the slitinterruptions 17 and 18 are preferably disposed in planes which areangulatively aligned with respect to transverse axis A of the packingring, for in this a manner the seal is most efiective. It will be notedthat in those instances where therecess area 13 and the O-ring 12 aremutually constructed and so arranged such that the O-ring 12 is snappedinto the packing ring-member 11, then the O-ring, in additionto'completing the packing ring seal, serves to hold rigid the packingring seal as an assembly technique immediately prior to or at placement'of the packing ring.

is the cavity provided for the packing ring, howsoever the cavity may bedelineated. Whatever structure is used, it should be understoodthroughout that the width of the cavity will be defined by use of thestructure supplying such width, whichwidth is deterrninative inproviding the necessary interference or sealing effect for the compositepacking ring which is designed nominally slightly oversize with respectto cavity width W.

FEGURE 4 illustrates a condition wherein several of the packing rings 10of FIGURE 1 are included in cylinder 24 to provide a seal incavity 27',similar to cavity 27 in FIGURE 2. 7

down of bolt 23 will draw retainer ring 22' (substantially It will benoted that the cinching identical to ring 22 in FIGURE 2) upwardly so asto compress the stacked packing rings together. This forms what is knownas a V-packing, ho-wbeit the configure-' merit of the individual packingrings and their cooperation are somewhat different from that known inthe V-'.

packing art. It will be noted with reference to FIGURE 4 that nopositive or negative (male or female) adapters need be used as is thecase with conventional V-pack-. ings. The upward protrusion of each ofthe O-rings 121 from their respective packing ring-members'llaccommodates a direct stacked seating of the individual rings 7 sincethe O-rings are nested inedge groove 16 of the. respective packing ringdisposed thereabouts. Thus, the

drawing up of bolt 23 so as to compress the V-packing will add to thehydrostatic type loading by the O-ring 12 o-f'packing ring-member'll soas to' produce a spreading out ofeachvof'the bifurcated portions 14;also, as in the'case shown'in FIGURE 4,;there Will also-be a spreadingdue to thedownward pressure of the corner areas of base portion 15 uponthe upwardly angulated lips 14 and'14" of the bifurcated portion so asto further contribute to the sealing effect. It is important to notethat such hydraulic or pneumatic pressure as may be present at' thesealed area'will. contribute to, the sealing effect by contributing tothe deformation of the respective O- ring and by further adding to thehydrostaticpressure action thereof'in spreading the bifurcated portionof the respective packing ring-member; Such lubricant pressure isindicated by the arrow Pf in FIGUREA. 7 FIGURE 5 illustrates thattheslit interruptions '17 and 18 of the stacked packing rings in FIGURE 4will prefert ably be displaced in order to 'minimizeif not completelythe placement of the packing rings about pistons and piston rods andother types of central members as was heretofore explained in the caseof FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged transverse section of the packing ring 1%) ofthe present invention. The packing ring-member 11 and the O-ring 12,being illustrated in enlarged section, are detailed so that thedimensions and angles involved in a preferred embodiment of theinvention maybe perceived. In FIGURE 6 the O-ring 12 is shown to have acircular cross-section. While some deviation from this is possible, itis preferred for sake of manufacturing cost and sealing quality that astandard O-ring be used as shown. It is recommended that the angles 6and q5 are of the order of and 3, respectively. 0f the two angles theangle 0 is the most variable and, in fact, may be flat or even anegative angle that is shown by the new angle designated a in FIGURE 7.In sum, the character of the upper surface S of packing ring-member 11,whether this surface be beveled or flat, will depend upon the particularapplication involved. Base portion may be considered as terminating at adimension C above the baseline BL of the packing ring-member. Thereabovethe upper bifurcated portion 14 is shown to be contiguous therewith andto flare outwardly at a suggested angle of the order of 3 (angle gt).This angle may also vary somewhat, this depending upon the applicationinvolved It is esential, however, that base portion 15 be slightlyundersize relative to the width W of the cavity involved, to facilitateplacement. See FIGURE 2. Merely by way of example, the clearance F onboth sides of base portion 15 may each be of the order of .008 inch.Upper bifurcated portion 14, however, will flare outwardly so that,preferably, an interference of the order of four percent exists betweenthe packing ring member 11 and the structure enclosing the same. Thus, ahypothetical area having a diameter equal to the outside diameter of thecavity of width W times 1.04 should be approximately equal to ahypothetical area having a diameter equivalent to the diameter ofpacking ring-member 11 at its upper extremity of upper bifurcatedportion 14. FIGURE 6 indicates the nominal dimensions of the packingring It prior to compression. The oversized nature of the flared orupper bifurcated portion 14 is for the purpose of sealing and theundersized nature of the O- ring at its base is to permit easyinstallation of the packing ring in certain applications.

The dimensions R are preferably equivalent and will be of the order of.032 inch. It is noted that these dimensions should be the same since,thereby, substantially congruous stacking of the packing rings forV-packings may be effected. W in FIGURE 6, of course, designates thewidth of the channel of the annular cavity 27' (or 27 in FIGURE 2).

Another type of packing ring is illustrated in FIGURE 7, simply insection form. The packing ring of FIG- URE 7 is similar to that shown inFIGURE 6 with the exception of the compound surfaces S" associated withupper bifurcated portion 14 (similar to bifurcated portion 14 in FIGURE6). However, it is desirous for optimum sealing effect that thedimension R between the uppermost part, this time at X, of packingring-mem ber 11 and the top of O-ring 12 be preserved.

When the O-ring and packing ring-member are compositely used as thesealing means, then the important feature of the invention is thatpacking ring be, in effect, spring-loaded by the O-ring to achieve theinterference and hence the sealing effect desired. Where the packingring-member is resilient, or at least outwardly deformable as in FIGURE8A, then the O-ring 12 may be made oversize with respect to recessedarea 13, so that upon the insertion of O-ring 12 in recessed area 13, asshown in FIGURE 88, the upper bifurcated portion 14 will expandoutwardly as seen to provide the seal as a piston ring for piston Pworking in cylinder CY. In this connection it will be noted that theO-ring in this connection need not be resilient, although suchresiliency will be preferred.

In FIGURES 9A and 9B is shown an alternate O- ring and packingring-member construction wherein the Q-ring 12 is the same size,relative to curvature, as that of annular recessed area 13. Thus, whereeither the O- ring 12' or the packing ring-member 11 in FIGURES 9A and9B is resilient, there will be a spring loading outwardly of the sealingmeans. It will be noted that the normal siZe of packing ring-member 11is already the size of the intended width W plus a desired increment forsealing so that while the O-ring does not expand the outer memberoutwardly, it'does provide a spring backing in effect, for the packingring-member.

FIGURE 10 illustrates a cross-section of a representative packingring-member wherein no O-ring is used and, hence, wherein the same isused as a U-cup, so called in the trade. It is to be noted that thecross-sectional girth of the bifurcated portion 14 in FIGURE 10 isgreater than width W of the cavity. A FIGURE 10 configuration willattain where the resiliency in character of the material is such that aU-cup only will sufiice for the sealing desired. FIGURE 11 simplyindicates the U-cup of FIGURE 10 being disposed in structure to seal thesame, being compressed by the boundaries of the width W to provide theseal desired.

As to the material of which the packing ring, that is the packingring-member and/ or O-ring is comprised, it is recommended that a rubberor rubber-type polymer be used which has a 15 to durometer reading onthe Shore A durometer scale. The durometer of the material chosen willbe such that the desired sealing effect can be satisfactorily obtained.The packing ring-member conceivably can be metal and in some instanceswill be plastic such as that going under the trade name Teflon. Wherethe packing ring-member is sufficiently resilient, then the O-ring canhave a quite high durometer reading and conceivably could be metal. Butfor a highly preferred embodiment in the invention a suitable rubber orrubber-like polymer will be used for both the packing ring-member andthe O-rings. It should be noted that the sealing qualities of the ringare not dependent upon structural force being exerted upon the O-ring,since the O-ring itself spring-loads the packing ring assembly toprovide the sealing required. Hence, there need be no precise fitrequirements met in order for the scaling properties of the packing ringto remain since the packing ring per se includes sufiicient springloading, by virtue of the inclusion of the O-ring, to provide suificientoutward force upon the upper bifurcated portion of the packingring-member to acornplish the scaling function. This will further beaided by such hydraulic or pneumatic pressure as will be present. Ofcourse, for certain applications the structure of the machinery at thepacking ring seal can be tightened down as heretofore indicated so as tofurther increase the quality of the sealing function.

The term O-ring used herein shall be understood to include not onlyO-rings which are presently used in the industry as seals but alsoO-configured rings which are obtained by cutting segments of desiredlength from extruded stock and shaping such segments in the form of 0spreparatory to the seating thereof.

Another type of material which may be used for fabrication of thepacking ring-member 11 and O-ring 12 (also 11' and 12') in the variouscontexts shown (in addition to the ones heretofore enumerated asexamples), is the composition of matter described in the inventorsco-pending patent application filed March 1, 1963, Serial No. 262,183,and titled Composition of Matter Suitable for Machinery Packings and theLike, wherein a polyurethane base having certain additives is fullydescribed.

In the FIGURES 2 and 4 illustrations it will be realized that for vacuumcontexts as in the case of vacuum pumps the seals may be disposedupside-down so that outside air pressure will be exerted against theupper bifurcated portion of the outermost packing ring.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications may be made without departing from thisinvention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in theappended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fallwithin the true spirit and scope of this invention. 7

I claim:

1. In machinery including a bore and a central member disposed Withinsaid bore and spaced therefrom to define an annular cavity of atransverse cross-section width W about a central member, a resilientpacking-ringldisposed in saidcavity, said packing-ring comprising apacking-ring member including an upper surface and having avcross-section comprising a base portion of width less than W and anupper, deformable, bifurcated portion constructed to delineate anannularrecessed area of undercut character which is contiguous with andmedially dependsfrom said upper surface and which is conformable to anO-ring snap-seated therein, and an O-ring snap-seated in said annularrecessed area, said recessed area conforming.

to said -ring snap-seated therein, and said O-ring protruding above saidupper surface, said bifurcated portion with said O-ring seated in saidannular recessed area being of nominal width greater than W, saidpacking-ring being 7 compressed Width-Wise along said bifurcated portionof its said cross-section through the constrainment thereof byboundaries of said cavity defining width W, and wherein each of saidpacking-ring and G-ring is provided with a respective slit interruption,said slit interruptions being mutually displaced.

2. In machinery including a bore and a central mema deformablebifurcated portion constructed to delineate an annular recessed area ofundercut character which is contiguous with and medially depends fromsaid upper surface and which is conformable to an O-ring snap-seated Yin said cavity, said packing-ring comprising a packing-ring along saidbifurcated portion of its said cross-section through the constrainmentthereof by boundaries of said cavity defining width W, and wherein eachof said packing-ring members includes an edge groove receiving arespective I -ring of the packing-ring disposed immediately therebelow,each of said O-rings protruding above said upper surface of a respectivepacking-ring member.

3. In machinery including a bore and a central member disposed Withinsaid here and spaced therefrom to define an annular cavity of atransverse cross-section width W about a central member, a resilientpacking-ring disposed member including an upper surface andhaving acrosssection comprising a base portion of width less than W and anupper, deformable, bifurcated portion constructed to delineate anannular recessed area of undercut chap acter which is contiguous withand medially depends from said upper surface and which is conformable toan D-ring snap-seated therein, and an O-ring snap-seated in said annularrecessed area, said recessed area conforming to said Q-ring snap-seatedtherein, and an O-ring protruding above said upper surface,; saidbifurcated portion with said 0- ring seated in said annular recessedarea being of'nominal width greater than W, said packing-ring beingcompressed width-wise along said bifurcated portion of'its saidcrosssection through the, constrainrnent thereof by boundaries of saidcavity defining width W.

References Cited by theExaminer UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,706,655

4/55 Showalter 277-124 2,s45,2ss 7/58 Case an 277 2,934,368 4/60 Adamson277 153 3,100,648 8/63 Lee a a1. a; 277-163 XR V FOREIGN PATENTS1,231,867 4/60 France.

EDNARD V. BENHAM, Primary Examiner.

' SAMUEL ROTHBERG, Examiner.

1. IN MACHINERY INCLUDING A BORE AND A CENTRAL MEMBER DISPOSED WITHINSAID BORE AND SPACED THEREFROM TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR CAVITY F ATRANSVERSE CROSS-SECTION WIDTH W ABOUT A CENTRAL MEMBER, A RESILIENTPACKING-RING DISPOSED IN SAID CAVITY, SAID PACKING-RING COMPRISING APACKING-RING MEMBER INCLUDING AN UPPER SURFACE AND HAVING ACROSS-SECTION COMPRISING A BASE PORTION OF WIDTH LESS THAN W AND ANUPPER, DEFORMABLE, BIFURCATED PORTION CONSTRUCTED TO DELINEATE ANANNULAR RECESSED AREA OF UNDERCUT CHARACTER WHICH IS CONTIGUOUS WITH ANDMEDIALLY DEPENDS FROM SAID UPPER SURFACE AND WHICH IS CONFORMABLE TO ANO-RING SNAP-SEATED THEREIN, AND AN O-RING SNAP-SEATED IN SAID ANNULARRECESSED AREA, SAID RECESSED AREA CONFORMING TO SAID O-RING SNAP-SEATEDTHEREIN, AND SAID O-RING PROTRUDING ABOVE SAID UPPER SURFACE, SAIDBIFURCATED PORTION WITH SAID O-RING SEATED IN SAID ANNULAR RECESSED AREABEING OF NOMINAL WIDTH GREATER THAN W, SAID PACKING-RING BEINGCOMPRESSED WIDTH-WISE ALONG SAID BIFURCATED PORTION OF ITS SAIDCROSS-SECTION THROUGH THE CONSTRAINMENT THEREOF BY BOUNDARIES OF SAIDCAVITY DEFINING WIDTH W, AND WHEREIN EACH OF SAID PACKING-RING ANDO-RING IS PROVIDED WITH A RESPECTIVE SLIT INTERRUPTION, SAID SLITINTERRUPTION BEING MUTUALLY DISPLACED.